Sri Lankan Navy detains 14 Indian fishermen

Rameshwaram: Fourteen Indian fishermen along with three boats have been detained by Sri Lankan navy on Thursday in the early morning hours near the Palk Strait.

Palk Strait is a strait between the Tamil Nadu and the Mannar District of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka.

The Lankan navy had earlier this month detained five Indian fishermen and seized a boat near Talaimannar in Tamil Nadu.

This move comes after the Sri Lankan Government, in an endeavour to deter fishermen from Tamil Nadu trying to invade the island's water for poaching, had earlier decided to take strict action against the owners of the boats and release the fishermen.

Sri Lankan Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Mahinda Amaraweera had earlier said the government will release the poaching Indian fishermen but will confiscate their boats and fishing equipments.